Automatic releasing screwdriver



v n. c. MONROE. AUTOMATIC RELEASING SCREWDRIVER. APPLICATIQN FILED JULY24,1917VRENEW`ED AUG. 2R |9$ Patented M31?. 9,1920.

l g releasin UNITED1 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DON o.-MONROE, oF sHnWNEnL OKLAHOMA.

AUTOMATIC RELEASING SCREWDRIVER.

Application filed my 24, 1917', serialize. 182,502. Renewed August 2s,191,9'. I' serial No. 320,460.-

To all whom z' may' concern'.-

'Be it known that I, DON C. MONROE, a`

citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Shawnee', in the county'o-f Pottawatomie and State ofOklahoma,: .ha ve inventedv new and useful Improvements in AutomaticReleasing Screwdrivers,I of which the following is a specification.

The. present' invention comprehends generally improvements inthat classof inventions known as woodworking tools and more particularly hasreference to an automatic screw driver.

This`v invention has for its principal object to provide a device oftheabove chai. acter wherein the `construction is novel and permits of theautomatic release of a screw vdriver from the head of a screw at thetime' the screw reaches its linal destination or' adjustment thus and tothe too I .As an equally important object this in* vention aims toprovide a screw driver of f A' screw when being. adjusted, theguidebelng i "io constructed and positioned so 'as to assure of theactuation of the device at a predetermined time and thus release thetool from the screw.

' More particularly this invention embraces the provision of a device ofthe above mentioned character designed to normally assure of therotation of: the screw driver shank or bit with the main stem yet alsoper mitting of the automatic release of thescrew when the latter 'hasbeen fully adjusted.

It -is an additional object of this inven- Ition to provide'a device ofthe above men,-v tioned character which is simple in construction,thoroughly reliable and eilicient in.

its purpose and inexpensive in manufacture.

Other objects will bein part obvious and in part hereinafter 'set forth.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, thecombination of" elements and the arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described and the scope ofthe ap'- plicat'ron of which will be indicated inl the i vappendedclaims.

preventing injury to the screwl The inventionis clearlyillustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which `Figure l is a vertical sectionofthe invention partly in elevation showing the position of the parts whena screw hasbeen fully adjusted with the screw driver bit free to rotate;

Fig. 2 is -an el'ilarged*v fragmentary vertical section' of theinvention showin the screw driver bit in front elevationvan to the mainstem so as to rotate therewith;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section'of the invention,partly in elevation;

- Fig. 4, is a perspective detail.

Similar characters of 'reference arey employed'in'all'the abovedescribed views to indicate the corresponding parts.

Referring now, 'more particularly, to the accompanyin "drawings, thereis provided a main cylin rical casing 1 the outer end-of which is vopenand is exteriorly screw threaded, as indicated by the numeral 2.Arranged against the outer edgeof the casing. is a tubular support .andguide 3 for a lscrew 4, Said support and guide being formed 'with anIoutwardly extending an' nular flange 5Y at its upper edge while aninternally threaded union 6j is employed and `is designed for adjustableand removable enagement on thel lower end lof the casing,` eingalsoarranged about "the support and guide 3 and formed with an inwardlyextending annular shoulder 7 which isarranged in close relationwiththeouter surface ofthe guide Iand forms a support or clamp forassuring of the rigid yretention of the guide against the lower edgeofthe cas ing, as indicated. The 'upper edge ofthe casing is formed withan inwardly extend-` ing annular shoulder 8 leaving an-opening 9 betweenthe edgesir whichis'- slidably and rotatably mounted a main stem-1 whilea head 1l isu connected .to the stem'and is slidably arranged within'the casing, being designed for receiving ai screw driver bit 12 -in amanner that will hereinafter become "'apparent. Suitable resilientmeans, such as a coil spring 13, is arranged about the stein and hasente. of its'ends bearing against a washer 14 slidable `on the stem andheld against the adjacent shoulder 8 of the casing while its oppositeend bears against a collar 15 adjustably mounted on'the stem and,removably' retained in rigid relation I Specification of Letters Patent.Patented Mar. 9, 1920.

connected to normally maintain the head 11 againsttherewith through theinstrumentality of a set screw 16 or the like. This spring serves theinner end of the casing. y

Asiiitimated, improved means have been provided for assuring of theautomatic release of the screwdriver bit 12 at the time the screw 4 hasbeen fully adjusted. 1n reducing` this feature of the .invention topractice, the head 11 is of noval construction being preferably formedwith a main longitudinal bore 17 the lower portion of which is reducedas at 18 forming ashoulder 19. The

upper portion of the head is also ,formed with opposed slots 20 and isfurther provided with secondary bores 21 which communicate respectivelywith the inner ends of the slots 20 and the lower edge of the head.Suitable means, such as a transverse pin 22, serves to connect the upperportion of the head to the adjacent endof the stem 10, as indicated, therespective ends of the pins 22 terminating in substantial alinement'with the outer edges of the headso as not to interfere with therotation of the latter within the casingl; A clutch disk 23 is slidablybut non-rotatably mounted in the upper enlarged portion f the main bore1T and is formed with lopposed wings 24 adjacent its upper edge forslidable engagement with the slots while the lower edge of the disk isyformed with a kerf or notch 25 for a purpose that will presentlyappear. Suitable resilient means such as a coil spring 26 is arrangedbetween the disk 23 and the adjustable end of the stem f or normallyholding the wings at theiniier ends of the slots 20. The screw driverbit has its inner reduced end 26 rotatably ,but non-slidably mounted inthe lower or restricted portion 18 of the bore.

27 in the reduced portion of the stem while in this groove is positionedthe inner end of the transversely extending screw 28 mounted lin thehead and having its outer edge in alinement with the outer surface ofthe head so as not to interfere ivit'h the movement of the head. Theinner end of the bit 12 is reduced to form a neck or lug 29 whichextends partly `into the enlarged portion of the bore so as to beengaged by the notch or kerf 25 in the under surface of the clutchpoints and are slidably arranged through This mounting is effectedpreferably by forming an annular groove the secondary bores 21terminating at their upper ends in heads 32 normally seated in thebottom of theyslots 20 beneath the wings 24 and of such length that thewasher 30 will contact with the inner edge of the guide and support 3simultaneously with the final adjustment of the screw 4 by the screwdriver bit 12 and move the disk clutch 23 against the tension -of thespring 26 so as to release the screw driver bit and allow it to lie idlein the head without acting further on the screw.

The mode of operation of the present invention may be reviewed as'follows Assuming that the parts have been assembled in the mannerdescribed and as illusti'ated in the drawings, subsequent to thearranging` of the'screw 4 within the support and guide 3 the main stemis rotated in any suitable manner and depressed against the tension ofthe spring 13 so as'to move the y screw driver into engagement with thekerf of the screw and by exerting a lcontinual `-downward movementon'the stem the screw 'upwardly against the tension of the spring so asto release the screw driver bit 12. In-

asmuch as this action temporarily releases the positive connection ofthe bit with the stem the bit will notl act further on the screw andwill thereby avoid injury to the" screw and to the bit. v

As many changes-could be made inthe above l construction ,and manyAapparently widely different embodiments of this inventionv could bemade without departing from the scope thereof it is intended that allmatter contained vin the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and 4not in a limitedsense. It is also to be understood that the language used in thefollowing claims is intended to cover all the generic and s peclicfeatures of the invention herein described and all statements of thescope of' the invention which as a matter of language might be said tofall therebetween.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by LettersPatent is z* i 1. A device of the characterdescribed in` cluding a casing, asupport and guide for screwsdetachably' mounted on the lower end of the casing, a stem slidably andnon-rotatably mounted in the casing, a head mounted within the easingandconnected 'to' the stem, resilient means for normally holding the headagainst the upper end ofthe casing, a resiliently and. 4lidably mountedclutch disk in the head, a screw driver bit rotatably and non-slidablymounted in the head and normally engageable by the clutchdisk so as tobe rotated with the stem, and means slidably mounted on the head andengageable with the clutch disk so as to release the clutch disk fromthe bit at a predetermined period.

2. A device of the character described including a casing, a supportland guide for screws detachably mounted on the lower end of the casing,a stem slidably and non-rotatably mounted in the casing, ahead mountedwithin the casing and connected to the stem', resilient means fornormally holding the head against the upper end of the casing, the headbeing pro-vided with a bore the f lower portion of which is restrictedforming an annular shoulder and being also provided with opposed slots,a clutch disk disposed in the bore, wings projecting therefrom andslidable in the slots, resilient means for normally holding the wingsagainst the inner ends of the slots, a screw driver Ibit rotatably andnon-slidably mounted in the lower portion of the bore for retablymounted in the casing, a head mounted within the easing and connected tothe stem, .resilient` means for normally holding the head against theupper endof the casing, the head being provided with a bore the lowerportion of which is restricted forming an annular shoulder and beingalso provided with opposed slots,` a clutch disk disposed in the bore,wings projecting therefrom and slidable in the slots, resilient meansfor normally holding'the wings against the inner` ends of the slots, ascrew driver bit rotatably and'nonslidably mounted in the lower portionof the bore for removable engagement by the clutch disk, rods slidablymounted through the' head and terminating .at their upper ends in headsso as to be supported in the bottoms of the recesses, and a washerdisposed about the screw driver bit and carried by the rods and normallyarranged in spaced relation to the lower edge of the head andv adaptedto be moved upwardly upon contacting of the upper edge l of the supportand guide for removing the. clutch disk from engagement with the screwdriver bit. j

A device of the character described including a casing, a support andguide for screws mounted on the lower end thereof, a

main stem slidably and non-`rotatably mounted inthe casing, aheadconnected to the stem within the easing, resilient means for normallyholding the head adjacent the upper end of the casing, a screw driverbit rotatably and non-slidably mounted in the head, yieldingly andslidably mounted clutch means in the head for normally engaging the bitso that it will rotate with the stem and means slidably mounted in thehead and normally disposed beneath the lower-edge thereof for engagementwith the upper edge ofthe sup port and guide at a predetermined periodso as to be actuated and automatically release .the screw driver bit.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

' DON C. MONROE

